Mousestar's Choice
by tobywoof
Summary: Mousekit and her siblings are born to regular parents in WindClan. She is sure she has a normal life, until tragedies befall her one after the other. She is constantly faced with hard decisions. Mousekit is told that this will keep happening as long as she stays in WindClan. Will she leave everything behind for a life in the unknown? Or are her ties to her Clan too deep? R&R!
1. Allegiances & Prologue

**Hey all! This is my first story I'm posting, though I've written many more! I'll respond to every review/question if asked!  
**

**UPDATE 9/24: Did only the important allegiances for the rest of the Clans! Read it as it is important to recognizing certain cats throughout the story~.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

ALLEGIANCES

**WindClan**

Leader: Badgerstar - black tom with white paws and green eyes

Deputy: Oakwhisker - brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Ashfeather - light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Warriors: Pouncefoot - white-and-ginger tabby tom with blue eyes

Sandytail - pretty pale ginger she-cat with darker paws and green eyes

APPRENTICE, Elkpaw

Coalfeather - dark gray tom with deep blue eyes

Rushflight - brown tom with white splashes

Honeynose - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

APPRENTICE, Hoppaw

Rockypelt - pure black tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE, Sheeppaw

Duckfeather - brown-and-gray-tom with green eyes

Foxrun - reddish tabby tom with a white belly and amber eyes

Clearpelt - young gray-and-white she-cat with a white muzzle and blue eyes

Pigeonwing - gray-and-white-tom with blue eyes

Apprentices: Elkpaw - mottled brown tom with green eyes and one floppy ear

Hoppaw - light brown tom with pale, sky-blue eyes

Sheeppaw - very fluffy white she-cat with a docked tail and green eyes

Queens: Thornblade - gray-and-orange tabby she-cat with a white chest and blue eyes; mother to Mousekit: pale brown she-cat with green eyes, Icekit: white she-cat with blue eyes, and Pinekit: brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a white-tipped tail

Frostshine - white she-cat with blue eyes; mother to Ryekit: white she-cat with gray tabby patches and green eyes, and Adderkit: brown tabby tom with amber eyes and cream underbelly

Elders: Puddlewhisker - gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**RiverClan**

Leader: Shellstar - gray speckled tom with blue eyes

Deputy: Minnowleap - sleek gray she-cat with one white ear

Medicine Cat: Breezefall - black tom with green eyes  
APPRENTICE, Fishpaw

Warriors: Cloudheart - white tom with gray eyes

Slatenose - very dark gray tabby tom

Apprentices: Hawkpaw - brown she-cat

Fishpaw - gray-and-white mottled tom

Falconpaw - russet tom with gold-tinged fur

**ThunderClan**

Leader: Petalstar - rosy-cream she-cat with green eyes

Deputy: Graydapple - solid gray she-cat

Medicine Cat: Snowcloud - white she-cat tinged with russet

Warriors: Creamstep - cream-colored she-cat

Apprentices: Lightpaw - golden she-cat with green eyes

Weaselpaw - orange-and-white tom

**ShadowClan:**

Leader: Gingerstar - pale ginger she-cat

Deputy: Ravenwing - black tom with green eyes

Medicine Cat: Flowernose - tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentices: Acornpaw - light brown tabby tom

Curlpaw - small yellow she-cat

Flowerpaw - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

* * *

"What is it?"

Ferns folded underpaw as a third, dark cat padded into the clearing. Thick bushes surrounded the bare area where they met, and frost gathered on every leaf. Two tan-colored she-cats came into view of the tom, who perked up at the sight of them.

"I called you both out here as I have been told something you may be interested in." He sat down across from them, relishing the fact that he did as he noticed how cold the ground was. The tom tried not to show his discomfort as he searched the gazes of the sisters sitting close together.

The larger, older she-cat bared her teeth in what he deciphered to be anger. "It better be well worth it for bringing us in the middle of leaf-bare!" she hissed.

"It is." He shifted his paws on the frozen dirt underneath him. He decided to drag this out as long as possible, for though he didn't reveal it, he was immensely worried about the information he was about to present.

"Well?" prompted the younger cat, whose ribs showed. "Get on with it or we'll all fade away." A subtle hint of amusement lined her mew, but the tom barely noticed.

"I have kept quiet for moons about this, for everybody's sake." The dark tom lifted a paw and licked his pads a few times, not just to warm them, but to hide his nervousness.

The larger she-cat sighed quietly, and the tom knew he had to hurry this up. "Our ThunderClan ancestors informed me that one of my kin will follow a path of confusion about where its loyalties lie. They said, _The hunters will become hunted. One will go to seek other places._"

"Who is the one? Certainly not Thorn?" the older cat mewed, pale green eyes growing wide.

The dark tom shook his head. "They didn't tell me." He lowered his gaze. "They just said that one of my kin would be confused!" His voice raised to squeak. "I don't know!"

"None of your kin remain in the Clans, young one," the older she-cat murmured. "Thorn must find a Clan before her kitting, or the prophecy will go unfulfilled."

The tom heaved a sigh of frustration. How was he supposed to pass on messages if he didn't get enough information about them? He scored a paw on the ground, causing claw marks to form in the dirt tinged with white snow. He peered downwards, seeing his only daughter lumber along with effort, making her way through and out of the woods at the edge of the Clan territories. He desperately hoped she would find some Clan soon, even if it wasn't ThunderClan.

He blocked out the memories from his past and focused on the possibly bright future ahead. The Gathering was taking place, full moon shining. All Clans were at peace for the moment. The dark cat vowed to find the one who would be torn between two worlds.

He would have to wait a moon. The tom lay down and observed the Gathering once more, foreseeing an uproar on the horizon.

* * *

**There's the prologue! Short but important!**

**So what will happen to Thorn? Will she find the Clans? Will this 'dark cat' really help his kin?**

**Find out soon! I'll post chapter one shortly~  
**

**woof**


	2. A Hard Start

**Enjoy chapter one~!**

* * *

_"I've got you now!"_

Mousekit narrowed her eyes and waggled her haunches, ready to pounce at Adderkit. With a leap she raced toward him, eyes fixed on his brown tabby back. Her littermate Icekit scurried after, paws pounding on the sandy floor of WindClan's camp. Adderkit yowled in surprise as he was thrown off his paws by Icekit, who jumped on his back and pummeled his shoulder with her dainty forepaws. He shook her off with an annoyed huff. Mousekit skidded to a halt and crashed into the tabby kit, landing whisker-lengths away from Sandytail's small paws.

"Hey, watch it!" the ginger warrior muttered, but her revealing green eyes were sparkling with amusement.

Crossly Adderkit hissed as Sandytail padded away. "Bet you can't do that again," he taunted, licking his shoulder fur so it laid flat.

For a moment Mousekit's neck fur bristled. _He couldn't tell a mouse from a bird._ She scrambled to her paws and shot him a glare.

"Ha!" Icekit mewed, shaking out her fur as she leaped away from the bigger kit. "We so totally got you!"

Mousekit scampered away so she could sit by her sister. "You don't stand a chance against us!" Pride welled up in her chest. _I'm going to be the best WindClan warrior ever!_

Adderkit was still glowering at them when Coalfeather walked up, obviously suppressing a purr. "What are the future warriors of WindClan doing today?"

Mousekit opened her mouth to reply when Icekit cut her off.

"We're hunting! Adderkit's the rabbit and me and Mousekit teamed up to catch him." She puffed out her chest and stared at her father eagerly. Mousekit ducked her head and gave her sister a scowl for interrupting her.

"Very good," he purred, stretching his forelimbs before settling down. "You'll grow up in no time."

A brown leaf fell on Mousekit's nose and she shook it off with a surprised hiss. _Where did this come from? There's no trees in WindClan._ She fumbled with it underpaw, ears pricked. A white flash caught her eye and she looked up to see Icekit pinning down Adderkit once again. In a flurry of brown and white fur they tussled with growls, and bits of soft, kit-like fur littered the ground.

Mousekit narrowed her eyes as she saw Icekit and Adderkit circle each other, ivory teeth bared. She decided she would pounce on the tabby tom and together she and her sister could take him down. She waited for the right moment, eyes wide as she focused on his cream-colored underbelly. With a growl and one long leap she took off and landed squarely on Adderkit's chest, knocking him to the ground and sending a blow with sheathed claws to his fluffy ear.

"Mousekit! We were practicing battle moves!" Icekit's mew was high-pitched and squeaky with annoyance.

Mousekit's pelt rippled with embarrassment as she crawled off her denmate, his face screwed up with anger.

"Sorry," she mumbled, shuffling her paws as she padded towards the nursery behind her. As she neared the entrance, she could just hear Icekit's squeal and Adderkit's mrrow of amusement behind her.

_Fine. I don't need them anyway,_ Mousekit thought indignantly. She sat down with a huff and kicked up dust with her forepaw. Warm milky scents wafted out of the nursery, and she was reminded of her brother, and Adderkit's sister, still inside. They were sick with a minor case of whitecough, and occassional coughs met Mousekit's rounded ears.

The camp in front of her was buzzing with activity. Pouncefoot and Sandytail were sharing tongues near an old tree stump at the edge of camp, where the ground sloped downward and turned to short, sparse grass. Elkpaw, Hoppaw, and Sheeppaw were flinging moss balls in the air in a clearing between the warrior's and apprentice's den. Oakwhisker and Badgerstar were huddled close together, heads down, deep in conversation.

"Mousekit?"

Mousekit pricked her ears at the sound of a faint mew coming from the nursery. Curiously she turned around and padded into the den she called home, blinking and narrowing her eyes to get adjusted to the dim light. She fought the urge to curl up in her large nest which she knew was heavily padded with sheepswool, instead facing her sick brother who had called for attention.

Pinekit stretched out a tabby paw weakly. Pity struck Mousekit's heart and she rubbed her muzzle against her brother's, hoping to comfort him.

"No, don't." Pinekit's raspy mew ended in a cough and he jerked away.

Mousekit frowned, but understood. She didn't want whitecough any more than he did, and both of them sick wouldn't do any good.

"Where's mother?" he asked. Mousekit stared into his dull amber eyes, and pushed back tears. They were once bright and full of laughter, and she remembered clearly one day when they all played.

_"Come on, slowpaw!"_

_Mousekit lunged forward and grasped the white tip of Pinekit's tail gently with her teeth. Still running, he looked back with mischievousness gleaming in his eyes and stopped abruptly, causing Mousekit to crash into his hindquarters. He turned swiftly around and tugged at one of her round ears, one small forepaw placed on her chest. Icekit leaped on top of them, making Pinekit fall on top of the brown kit._

_Mousekit, feeling crushed, still let out a mroww of amusement. "Icekit, you klutz! Watch where you're placing your paws!" She threw up a paw, but it was too short to reach her white-furred sister._

_Icekit threw her head back in triumph. "I did it on purpose." _

_Pinekit sighed even though Mousekit could tell he still had an air of playfulness about him. "Get offa us, Icekit!" He arched his back; Icekit tumbled to the ground and the tabby tom leapt off of his sister._

_Mousekit gratefully dipped her head to him. "Thanks, bro. I thought I couldn't breathe for a second there."_

_Icekit found her footing and stuck her muzzle in Mousekit's face, mewing, "I beat you both and you know it!"_

_Pinekit smiled until his sharp teeth stuck out. "You'd never suffocate as long as I'm around."_

Now Mousekit watched as his white underbelly rose and fell slowly. His fur was rumpled, as if he didn't even have the energy to clean his pelt. His whiskers drooped and one ear was folded back so the pink inside showed. She tried to brighten up. "On the sunhigh patrol. I'm sure she'll be back any heartbeat."

"Oh." He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the nest. Mousekit figured this must have calmed him down. Turning tail to leave, she halted when his voice piped up again. "StarClan's calling, sis."

Mousekit whipped around. She gaped in shock as she thought about living life without her brother. He was the only cat with a sense of humor, she thought, and underneath that he was terribly sweet and would do anything for anyone else.

She pricked her ears to hear Icekit and Adderkit still playfighting outside. They were obviously oblivious to the situation of Pinekit's health.

"Pinekit, what'll I do? What about us being apprentices together, and going to Gatherings? Fighting ShadowClan and hunting with our mentors..." her voice trailed off and she buried her nose in his kit-soft pelt, vowing to remember his distinct scent of pine trees after which he was named.

He half-opened one amber eye, and Mousekit saw in it the same playful nature she knew him best by. "You'll get along fine." His mouth widened into a warm but weak smile. "Don't ever forget me."

Mousekit forced herself not to cry. "O-okay," she promised, her voice cracking. She swallowed hard and raised her head. "I'll get Icekit and Ashfeather."

She reluctantly turned and ran out of the den, grateful for the wind blowing in her fur that whisked away some signs of her disappointment. She reached Ashfeather's den, a large and rough gray boulder that had been carved from endless seasons of wind and rain.

Mousekit burst through, seeing the gray she-cat placing strong-smelling green leaves in a cleft in the wall. Her back was turned, and she was too focused on her task to hear Mousekit come through.

"Come on, Ashfeather!" She pleaded, shaking the she-cat's shoulder with two forepaws. "Pinekit's sicker than you think."

With a swift nod the medicine cat reared up on her hindlegs and reached with a paw in another cleft, pulling out some herbs Mousekit was unfamiliar with. Confident Ashfeather got the message, Mousekit searched for Icekit. The white kit had found a moss ball that the three apprentices ditched and was tossing it back and forth with Adderkit.

She felt Ashfeather brush past as she padded forward to interrupt her sister's game. "Icekit, Pinekit's...sick."

Icekit dropped the ball of moss and stared at Mousekit as if she was talking nonsense. "Of course he's sick."

Mousekit growled in frustration. "He's sicker! Maybe even going to die!" She walked forward until they were muzzle-to-muzzle. "Don't you care?"

"I care!" she snapped, pulling back from her brown-colored sister. Blue eyes hardening with determination, she pushed past Mousekit with such force she was knocked to the ground.

Mousekit scrabbled to her paws and followed Icekit quickly, soon forgetting about her act of rudeness. Now was not the time for revenge.

Reaching the nursery, she anxiously watched Ashfeather's broad gray back, wanting to get closer to her brother. Icekit was standing at the entrance, fur bristling and tail lashing. She seems more angry at me than sad for Pinekit, Mousekit noticed, slanting her eyes in brief suspicion.

Pinekit let out a cry, and Mousekit turned to shove her nose in the dirt. She placed her paws over her ears and hoped he would be alright. StarClan, please don't take him yet.

For what felt like moons Mousekit sat there, waiting for some type of reassurance from Ashfeather. But nothing happened, and Mousekit heard no sounds. For a moment she thought she had gone deaf; a shuffling of paws calmed her and she released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Mousekit."

Ashfeather's soft, hushed mew jolted her up, and she stiffly padded to the side of the medicine cat. She was barely aware of Icekit as she stole a glance in her brother's direction. He looked the same, though strange herb scents wreathed around him. She focused her attention on his flank, waiting for it to come up.

* * *

**Heh, a lil cliffhanger for you c:**

**So what will happen to Pinekit? Will Icekit keep holding a grudge against her sister? Find out soon! I'll post the second chapter shortly!**

**woof**


	3. Recovery

**Hey all! Not much to say...enjoy the next chap! **

* * *

_It's all my fault._

Mousekit laid her head on her paws sulkily, watching the camp from the entrance to the nursery. Today was her apprentice ceremony, but she was hardly thrilled. The usual excitement for an ordinary kit was gone, replaced with disappointment, mainly in herself. She reflected on the event that changed who she was forever, the event that no one else seemed to care about as much as she did.

_"Make him come back!" Mousekit wailed, throwing her muzzle forward to press it against her brother's pelt. But his normally warm brown tabby fur was cold, and the scent of pine was masked by mint leaves that Ashfeather must have used._

_ She heard sniffs, and turned her head slowly back to see Icekit's face twisted with emotion. The white she-kit padded forward and placed a paw on his dark nose. "Pinekit, you were the best brother any cat could have. StarClan will watch over you just as I know you will watch over us."_

_ Mousekit couldn't have said anything better, and so she didn't._

_ "I'm sorry, both of you, really I am," Ashfeather started, draping her tail over both of their shoulders. "I know what it's like to lose a littermate, and it's the worst feeling."_

_ Mousekit felt sick from holding everything in, and she whipped around to glare at the medicine cat. "You don't know what it's like to lose _Pinekit!_ He was the best ever, and now he won't even get to be an apprentice with me."_

_ Icekit nudged Mousekit with her muzzle. The brown kit looked up to see her blue eyes full of something that she'd only seen once before. Understanding._

_ "It'll be okay. We still have Adderkit to play with, and once Ryekit gets better we can play with her." She looked hopeful as she said this, as if trying to reassure herself more than her sister._

_ Mousekit backed up away from her, letting Ashfeather's tail fall. "No. Nothing will ever be the same again!"_

_ She pelted out of the den, but stopped abruptly in the middle of camp, realizing she had nowhere else to go. Feeling trapped, she buried herself under the pile of prey at her paws, seeking warmth and comfort. It was then that she cried, for now the hope that Pinekit would live was gone._

Mousekit now watched as Frostshine groomed her two kits. Adderkit stood proud, chest puffed out and thick tabby tail swishing. Ryekit, who recovered from the illness just two sunrises ago, stared with confusion in Mousekit's direction, probably wondering why she didn't come out of the den.

"Oh, Mousekit, you look absolutely a mess!" Mousekit was hauled off of her paws as teeth grasped her scruff. She kicked out her forelegs at the sudden movement and turned on her mother as soon as she was put down.

"I do not!" she growled, showing her mother her back as proof. "I just cleaned this morning. I don't need your help anymore, you know."

Thornblade seemed downfallen. "Oh. Okay." She gave a swift lick to the top of Mousekit's forehead. "Be a good kit." At that she padded away to sit by Coalfeather, who had started up a conversation with Foxrun near the apprentice's den.

Mousekit instantly felt guilty. She padded forward to apologize when a white tail blocked her view. She looked up to see Frostshine staring down at her with some sort of expression on her face she hadn't seen before.

"Mousekit! I'd certainly be ashamed if my kits did that." The white queen turned to Ryekit and her jerked her muzzle in the direction of the large boulder that Badgerstar spoke at. Ryekit nudged Adderkit with her shoulder, and the both of them scampered away to sit under it.

Frostshine removed her tail and held up Mousekit's chin with her paw. "Listen to your mother, for everyone's sake. She's had a hard life, and every wrong action against her reminds her of it." The white she-cat brightened up. "Go on, meet your sister. She's waiting for you just near Adderkit."

Mousekit nodded, making a mental note to apologize to her mother later. She leaped away from Frostshine and sat by her thick-furred sister, craning her neck to see the top of the boulder. _I hope it doesn't fall._

"How come Mousekit and Adderkit get to be made apprentices too?" Adderkit's meow met Mousekit's ears, and she scowled at him, though he was looking at Ryekit. "We're five sunrises older!"

Ryekit nodded just as Icekit swiped her paw over Adderkit's fluffy ears. "Hush! We have just as much right to be apprentices as you two do."

Adderkit frowned in contempt. "I'm still older."

Mousekit rolled her eyes. _Will he ever learn not to be so full of himself?_

She didn't notice the Clan gather behind her until Badgerstar cleared his throat. The tom's bright green eyes stood out against his black pelt.

"You all know that the greatest pleasure of any leader is naming apprentices. It is my privilege to welcome four future warriors of WindClan!" He flicked his tail and sat down. Mousekit could hear faint purrs drifting down to her, and she wondered why he liked doing it so much.

"A fifth is not with us." The black-and-white leader bowed his head. "We all know he deserved to be here as much as his denmates do."

Mousekit stood rigid, for she knew that if she said anything she'd surely break down again.

He raised his head and beamed. "However, we shall not let a tragedy stop us from continuing with our lives." He turned to Adderkit. "Step forward, Adderkit."

The brown tabby tom strode forward with his tail high, cream underfur showing. Mousekit snorted louder than she meant to, and she ducked her head, hoping no one would notice. She snickered at Icekit as he sat down across from them. "Snob," she whispered.

Icekit shrugged. "Yeah. Guess so." Her eyes never wavered from being fixed on Adderkit, and Mousekit raised one furry eyebrow, unfamiliar with the way Icekit was acting. _Maybe she's still mad at me from yesterday._

"Adderkit, you have reached your sixth moon, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this moment forward, until you receve your warrior name, you will be known as Adderpaw." Badgerstar paused, sweeping his gaze over the cats gathered underneath him as if he hadn't planned on who would mentor him before. "Your mentor will be Coalfeather, and I know he will pass down everything he knows to you."

Mousekit bristled as Adderpaw reared up to touch noses with her father. Jealousy sparked inside of her and she stared at her paws, not wanting anyone to know her feelings about the matter. She felt a pelt brush her and glanced up to see Icekit.

"Don't worry," the white-furred kit whispered.

"Quiet." Frostshine's soft mew sounded from behind them and Mousekit turned to give a swift nod to her.

"Icekit, Mousekit, and Ryekit step forward." Badgerstar's voice echoed throughout camp as he rose to his paws to finish the ceremony.

Mousepaw gazed at him as she reluctantly padded after her sister, not understanding. _Why single out Adderpaw?_

"Like Adderpaw, you three have reached your sixth moon and it is time for you to be apprenticed. Icekit, from this moment on, you will be known as Icepaw. Pouncefoot was once my apprentice, and I trust he will pass on everything he knows to you."

Icepaw's tail waved happily as the ginger-and-white-tom padded up to her. Pink nose met pink nose as the two brushed muzzles.

Badgerstar went on, but he started to falter. "Mousekit, you will now be known as Mousepaw. Clearpelt, you will be mentor to this young cat. I know you'll do your best."

A gray-and-white she-cat bounded up to her and touched noses too fast, so Mousepaw's nose was shoved in too far. She winced, but maintained her composure to stand beside her mentor. Mousepaw studied her up and down, trying to remember her short-furred pelt and brightly shining blue eyes.

Ryekit went on to be Ryepaw, with Foxrun as a mentor. By this time, Badgerstar had started a bout of coughing, and he retreated to his den that rested on top of the boulder.

"Isn't this exciting?" Ryepaw mewed, twitching a gray tabby ear as she glanced around. "Foxrun's really nice. He said we could go on the sundown patrol."

"Yeah," she mumbled, avoiding Ryepaw's green gaze. She wanted to find Thornblade.

As if on cue, the gray-and-orange tabby walked forwards. "So proud of you, little one," she murmured, rubbing her muzzle against Mousepaw's cheek. "I'm sure you'll make an excellent warrior for this Clan."

Mousepaw nodded fiercely, ignoring the fact that she called her 'little one'. "I hope so!" she purred, feeling as if the bond between them was fixed again.

She focused on Clearpelt as her mother padded away, paws pounding on the ground anxiously as she waited to go explore the territory with her mentor. "What first?" she asked.

A loud mroww of amusement erupted from the gray she-cat, surprising Mousepaw. "You should get to know your Clanmates for today. It's late anyway. Do whatever you like, but no hunting or going on patrols yet."

"Why not?" Irritation pricked under Mousepaw's pelt, and she glanced over to where Icepaw, Ryepaw and Adderpaw were being led out of camp, more than likely going to see the borders.

"Because." Clearpelt rose and shook out her fur, just meeting the back of the sundown patrol.

Mousepaw heaved a loud sigh as her mentor disappeared from view. _Maybe Badgerstar picked the wrong cat to teach me._

* * *

**Whatcha think? Will Mousepaw ask Badgerstar for another mentor? Or will she deal with Clearpelt's inexperience?  
**

**Find out soon! **

**woof**


	4. Loyalties

Mousepaw padded forwards carefully. Since the sundown patrol had left, she was pretty much alone in camp. She knew she should follow her mentor's orders, and she _wanted_ to get to know her Clanmates. But her paws pricked with excitement at the thought of running on the moors she could only gaze at with longing now.

The apprentice's den was just in front of her. Two flanks rose and fell almost simultaneously. Mousepaw narrowed her eyes to focus better on the pelts, and tried to remember who they were. There were so many cats in WindClan, she thought, and it was almost hard to keep track of who was who. She was determined to work on it now, and figured why not try it out with her new denmmates?

She peered into the den, her tread light for she did not wish to meet them face-to-face just yet. She remembered pelts best, not faces, and she was ever so curious as to how these apprentices looked.

There were seven nests, Mousepaw counted, just enough for every cat to squeeze inside. The apprentice's den was woven with heather and gorse, and bits of sheepswool were stuffed in the tendrils to create a warm, fluffy inner coating, probably protecting them from the spines of the gorse.

A brown tom was laying in the nest closest to the entrance, his fur short like her own and just as pale. For a split-second Mousepaw wondered if they were related, but quickly shook away the thought. His hind legs reached up to his nose, and she turned her head to the side. Either this tom just had unusually long legs, or he was very close to becoming a warrior.

In the far corner of the back of the den rested a mottled brown tom. His fur was so dark it was almost black, and tan freckles dotted his muzzle. His left ear was just as normal as any cat's, but the right ear was long and flopped over his face so one of his eyes were covered. Mousepaw envied his spot, knowing it must be extremely comfortable.

Mousepaw cautiously walked inside, careful not to step on any tails. She looked around at the nests, wondering which one was hers. Two were in front, exposed to the warm and damp air which signaled upcoming rain. Then three were side-by-side in the middle, where no cat slept. Mousepaw bent down and opened her mouth near the one behind the brown tom, and it smelled of wind and dust, but no distinct scent lingered. In the back were two more nests, the one on the left was where the mottled tom had taken up his spot.

"You must be Mousepaw."

Mousepaw flinched at the voice and whipped around. The brown tom had raised his head and was blinking sleep out of his eyes. His expression was friendly, and his pale sky-blue eyes gazed at her warmly.

She nodded and raised her head proudly. "Sure am."

He let out a short purr. "Well, find a nest! Me and Elkpaw stayed up practically all night making them for you, so be grateful."

Mousepaw didn't know if he was being mean or friendly, so she nodded to him again and searched for a suitable resting place. She desperately wanted the spot by who she figured was Elkpaw, but she knew Ryepaw or some other cat would want it too. She reluctantly padded up to the nest in the middle to the far right, away from the two apprentices. She didn't know them well enough to brush pelts with them.

"So you are...?" she approached, tucking her forepaws under her chest as she settled down.

He purred again, but this time in amusement. "Hoppaw. That lumbering mottle over there is my brother, Elkpaw. And Sheeppaw is..." Hoppaw lifted his head to stare out at camp, and dropped it down again in a few heartbeats, focusing on Mousepaw. "Well, I'm sure she's somewhere. All three of us are siblings."

Mousepaw smiled, but her heart ached for her own brother. He should be here, cuddling up to Mousepaw and murmuring jokes in her round ears. He should be flicking his white-tipped tail tauntingly in front of her, knowing she would leap up and bat at it. He should be looking at her with protective amber eyes, making Mousepaw feel safe anywhere. He shouldn't be Pinekit; he should be Pinepaw. He shouldn't be looking down at her, he should be looking straight at her with his playful expression he never lost.

She rested her brown muzzle on the edge of the nest and huffed loudly in a mix of sadness and frustration. She knew it was her fault he died. If she just fetched Ashfeather sooner, maybe he could have had a chance.

Hoppaw turned his head sideways. "You okay?"

Mousepaw lifted her snout. His expression was terribly anxious, and she wondered if he really cared. Losing Pinekit, she suddenly realized, was more of a blow than she thought. She didn't think about it much, but he was _everything_ to her. The way his eyes gleamed with laughter, the way he always looked after her. She realized he only did this to her, not to Icepaw. She realized that her best friend was gone forever.

And she could do nothing about it.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just... lost."

He snorted. "You're not lost! It's just the apprentice's den."

Mousepaw felt like crying again. It was something Pinekit would say to cheer her up. Stupid, but funny enough to make her chuckle.

Elkpaw raised his head and mewed loudly. "Will you two hush? I almost had that mouse." He lifted a dark paw, each toe colored with the same tan on the bridge of his muzzle, flexing his white claws.

One green eye widened when his gaze drifted over to Mousepaw. "I haven't seen you before! I mean, here. I've seen you in the nusery before, y'know. Just uh, you're an apprentice now. Mousepaw, right?"

Mousepaw forgot about her brother for a heartbeat. She liked the way this tom stuttered, the way he fumbled with his paws when he was nervous.

She opened her mouth to speak when Ryepaw burst through the entrance carrying a rabbit by its two long ears. "Look!" she mewed proudly, her voice muffled by thick white fur. "Foxrun taught me how to catch prey, and we got this together! Wanna share?"

Mousepaw sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was share a rabbit with someone she didn't like. But her stomach rumbled, and her mouth watered at the thought of tearing into juicy meat.

The day had gone by too fast. Just this morning she was a kit, and now she was padding out of the apprentice's den at dusk, ready to eat with the Clan. She noticed many cats gathering around, sharing tongues or grooming each other's pelts. Most stared at the massive heap of prey in the center of camp longingly, waiting their turn.

Mousepaw heard the pawsteps of Hoppaw and Elkpaw behind her. In front of her, Icepaw and Adderpaw sat unnecessarily side-by-side, waiting for the other apprentices. Another white pelt blended into Icepaw's, but it was much fluffier, and its tail was docked. Green eyes gleamed brightly and Mousepaw realized this must be Sheeppaw.

"Sheeppaw's real friendly." Ryepaw set down her rabbit near a jutting boulder and jerked her head in the she-cat's direction.

Mousepaw uneasily padded up to her and sat down. Her nose was bright and pink, fur soft like a kit's. Sheeppaw held out a paw. The brown apprentice stared at it in confusion.

"It's a greeting. Hold out yours and tap it with mine."

Mousepaw reluctantly did so, her rough pads meeting with Sheeppaw's soft, smooth ones, as if she never walked anywhere to wear them down.

"I hope we can be friends," she mewed, white fur sparkling from the setting sun.

Mousepaw nodded. "Sure thing."

She didn't _really_ think she could befriend the strange she-cat, but she'd give it a shot.

She turned back to Ryepaw. The white she-cat flicked her gray tail and settled down in front of her rabbit. Mousepaw was about to lay down next to her when a loud yowl sounded from above.

Mousepaw stared up at Badgerstar who sat on his speaking perch on the boulder. "Tonight is certainly joyous!" he began. "We have four new apprentices who will no doubt support the Clan. On the sundown patrol, they were not just taken around to see the borders, but went hunting as well. The moors are clean of prey, since all of it is in WindClan!"

Scattered purrs occurred on the floor of camp. Mousepaw's pelt burned in jealousy. _She _didn't get to go on the sundown patrol like everybody else.

"So," the black tom continued, "We will have a feast! Every cat can take one piece of prey. The apprentices get two for being so helpful." He nodded to his Clan and started making his way down the various large rocks that made a path up to the boulder.

Elkpaw padded forward first towards the fresh-kill pile. He gingerly took a mouse from the top of the heaping pile, and paced backwards to meet the cluster of apprentices gathered by the jutting rock.

Icepaw went next. She flattened her ears, probably in embarrassment from the stare of every cat on her pelt. She picked a plump-looking hare, then raised it off of the ground for it was very long.

Mousepaw rolled her eyes. She didn't even deserve to pick one piece. She'd done nothing all day.

Sheeppaw bounded forward, and shoved her nose in the pile, throwing up a gray blur. She caught it in her mouth with a loud snap and bounded back towards her denmates. "Oh, I haven't had one of these in forever!"

Mousepaw stared at the weird gray thing with a bushy tail. It was nothing she'd ever seen before.

"Go on, Adderpaw," Icepaw mewed, briefly touching her nose to his shoulder. "Your turn."

The brown tabby shook his head. "I'll share with you."

Icepaw shrugged, though her blue eyes gleamed. "Okay."

Badgerstar stood over the pile now. First he raised up a thrush, but then looked side-to-side and snatched up a mouse, scampering playfully away.

Purrs of amusement erupted, and Mousepaw joined in. No cat moved, and she took this opportunity to pad forward. The pile of prey was larger than it had ever been, and the scents of fresh meat wafted up to her nose, making her mouth water. It was made up mostly of mice and rabbits, but the occasional feathers of a wren and thrush appeared. Something dark brown and furry caught her eye, buried deep in the pile, and she fished it out.

Trotting back to her denmates, she lifted the prey higher. "What's this?" she mewed, her voice muffled by fur.

"A vole. We went hunting near ThunderClan's border and found it." Icepaw raised a paw off the ground and licked it. "There's a bunch over there."

Mousepaw nodded, her pelt slightly burning from embarrassment. _I should have known that!_

She settled down with her prey, and watched the camp proudly. Her Clanmates loved her, no matter what, and she wondered what the other Clans were like. Maybe they were just like this?

Whatever the case, she was very curious. Does RiverClan have rabbits or mice, or do they just eat fish? Do cats in ThunderClan explore the tunnels dug by the WindClan cats in their territory, long-abandoned? Are cat bones really part of a ShadowClan cat's diet?

Now her paws pricked. She had the urge to run away from this camp and explore the moors, pass over borders as if they didn't exist. She didn't _ask_ to be in WindClan. Why stay with a Clan just because you were born into it?

"Mousepaw?"

A mew jolted her out of her thoughts, and Mousepaw focused on the voice, Adderpaw. "You okay?"

The brown apprentice nodded uneasily. "Sure. I'm just, er, not hungry." To prove her point she shoved her vole away with a paw.

Icepaw narrowed her eyes. Everyone was looking at her now, and Mousepaw swept her gaze over the camp to see this. Her heartbeat quickened, and for a fleeting moment she wondered if she should tell her Clan what was on her mind. But they were liable to think very suspicious things of her.

So Mousepaw ignored the stares and picked her way carefully towards the empty apprentice's den. She would think about it, maybe just tell Badgerstar, and then be off on her exploration in a moon or so.

As she settled into her nest, she smirked with pride. _No one is going to stop me._

* * *

**What will Mousepaw do? Will she really leave her Clanmates? Or is what she's thinking just a fleeting thought?**

**Find out soon~! **

**woof**


	5. Not So Bad

"Mousepaw."

The brown apprentice murmured irritably and shoved her muzzle deeper into her paws.

"Mousepaw!"

A hard jab to the ribs awakened her. Blearily she stared up, making out the distorted gray-and-white face of her mentor.

"What?" Mousepaw muttered. "I was having the best dream."

"Yeah, that's great. Now, do you want to go on the dawn patrol or what?"

She gasped in delight. _Maybe I can slip away…_ No. Mousepaw shook her head. It wasn't time yet. _Patience,_ she reminded herself. "Really?"

"Yes. Now move your tail. We're about to leave." Clearpelt flicked her white-tipped ear and sauntered out of the den.

_Thank StarClan._ Mousepaw leaped up and bounded out into the camp, throwing back an apology to Sheeppaw as she stepped on the she-cat's white fluffy tail. She soon spotted the patrol gathering by the gorse entrance, Oakwhisker located on the same jutting boulder that the apprentices lay on last night to eat their prey.

Suddenly her fur tingled. _Something's wrong._ She halted in her walk to the prey pile, raising her muzzle to scent the air. It was crisp and cold, unlike the warm dewy air present yesterday. Lifting her nose higher, she saw the sky. The clouds seemed low, and they were all colors of white and gray.

Mousepaw trotted up to the patrol, meeting Pigeonwing sitting at the rear. "Snow, right?" she asked, jerking her head to a pile of it by her paws.

The gray-and-white tom purred. "Yep. You were born in new-leaf, so you've never seen it before." He narrowed his eyes, but not in suspicion. "How do you know?"

Mousepaw shrugged. "Thornblade described it. I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were." He turned to look at Oakwhisker again, who seemed ready to speak. Mousepaw's pelt burned in shame. She had to work on not being so rude to her Clanmates.

_Clanmates._ She held her tongue to stop herself from snickering. _Not for much longer._

"Honeynose, take Adderpaw, Mousepaw, Hoppaw, Clearpelt, and Pigeonwing to the ThunderClan border." Oakwhisker seemed dignified, and Mousepaw beamed up at him._ I want to be like that one day._

And then she sighed inwardly, remembering she wouldn't be here long enough to even be a warrior. She'd never get to be deputy.

"Come on." Pigeonwing, seemingly forgetting the awkward conversation, flicked his short-furred tail in Mousepaw's face. Oakwhisker continued to speak but she barely heard him as she fell into step beside Adderpaw.

_Adderpaw._ Mousepaw glanced at him. She had never really gotten to know him more—though she knew how snobby and arrogant he was as a kit—but decided she should.

He said nothing as they left the comfort of camp and emerged into the freeness of the moors. The brown apprentice parted her mouth slightly, letting the smells engulf her. Mostly wind and heather hit her, mixed with a sharpness which had to be from the cold. Mousepaw fluffed out her unfortunately short fur against it.

Snow fell lightly as the six cats padded confidently across the moor. Mousepaw marveled at the sights before her, awed. She wanted to see everything so when she left, she'd already have a good lay of the land.

"What do you think of WindClan?"

Mousepaw flinched as Adderpaw piped up. He was striding with determination as if he'd walked the path to ThunderClan's border many a time.

"It's…all right." She avoided his gaze. "Cold, though."

He snorted in amusement and nudged her shoulder with his own, almost knocking her over. "I'm sure it's just as cold in ThunderClan."

Mousepaw felt something different about Adderpaw. He wasn't the cocky kit she used to know. He was—she searched for the right words—quiet, different.

"You changed," she murmured to herself, looking down at her moving paws.

"I know. But it's better, right?"

Mousepaw halted and looked up. Warm amber eyes gazed at her, and for once she sensed something between them. _But Icepaw likes him, doesn't she? And I'm going away anyway._

"Ow-oww!"

Mousepaw snapped her attention to the horrific yowling. They were just behind the border now, where dirt and sand gave way to thick ferns and oak trees. She started at the sight of the tall maples in front of her—glancing down, she saw Clearpelt's face twisted with pain. Running up to her mentor, she noticed a dull gray thing with sharp teeth wrapped around her skinny leg.

Instantly Pigeonwing bolted into the trees. His tail disappeared behind a bush as Clearpelt let out another low moan.

"Where's he going?" Adderpaw asked, jerking his head in the tom's direction.

"To ThunderClan." Honeynose gazed at the strange thing on Clearpelt's leg, sniffing it and poking it gingerly with a forepaw.

"Why?" Mousepaw muttered, watching the bush anxiously and waiting for him to reappear.

"Help." The ginger warrior murmured something in Clearpelt's ear, which seemed to comfort her, as she relaxed and stopped struggling.

_It's okay._ Mousepaw stroked her tail along her mentor's back. _You'll be okay._

Suddenly three cats smelling of wood and leaves burst through the edge of trees. One white pelt in particular had a stronger scent of jumbled herbs, and Mousepaw knew it was their medicine cat.

A cream-colored she-cat faced Honeynose. "It isn't the first time this had happened," she mewed with sadness. "One of ours died from infection by getting caught in one of these."

Honeynose only dipped her head, moving out of the way for the white-furred medicine cat.

"There's not much we can do," she stated bluntly, licking around the wound to clear blood away.

"Mousepaw, send a message to camp. Tell Badgerstar that Clearpelt's injured but ThunderClan's here to help." Pigeonwing nodded fiercely, and Mousepaw knew she couldn't argue.

_What can we do that they can't? We're all cats here._ She shook her head but turned and reluctantly sped away, scanning the landscape for the faint upward slope that signaled the camp grounds.

Snow fell heavier now, and Mousepaw narrowed her eyes. It was getting increasingly harder to figure out where to place her paws, but she wasn't about to stop running.

_Clearpelt needs me._ The pounding of her paws energized the brown apprentice. She took long strides, feeling as if she was flying as she focused on the horizon ahead.

The camp was just in view when both of her forepaws fell forward, and her screech of alarm went unheard.

* * *

**What do you think Mousepaw fell into? Will she get to the camp in time? Do you think she'll leave the Clans, or stay?**

**Find out soon!**

**woof**


	6. Revealing the Truth

Mousepaw clenched her teeth against the pain. Her chin banged on the frozen ground as her forepaws plummeted forward down a large hole. The tightness of the hole meant her shoulders were squeezed together. She flailed her front paws wildly, trying to get a grip. But the gap was too deep, and she scrabbled feebly at nothing.

"Help!" she yowled, hoping someone from the dawn patrol would hear her. _Clearpelt needs help._ "Help!"

"Oh, please stop your caterwauling, dear one."

Mousepaw pricked her round ears. She didn't recognize the voice coming from behind her, but it wasn't threatening—rather, the opposite.

"Can't you help me?" she pleaded, flicking her tail back and forth to see if she could brush the pelt of whoever was behind her.

And then suddenly she could see the black figure of a cat by her side. He leaned over and grasped her scruff, hauling her out of the hole. Once on the ground, Mousepaw was unable to get up. She stared in horror at one of her paws. It was twisted, the pad clearly visible—on her other paw, lying flat on the ground, just the top showed, as normal as ever. But oddly, her injury was numb, and she felt no pain.

She looked at the large, dark cat and realized with a start that stars glimmered in his fur. "You're from StarClan," she breathed in awe.

The tom chuckled. "Perhaps."

Mousepaw dipped her head as best as she could while laying down. "Thanks for helping. I thought I was crowfood."

"You were just lucky. I came here not to assist you, but to tell you something important." He sat down and stared at her with wide, green eyes. A streak of white going from the bridge of his nose to the top of his head illuminated his dark fur.

Mousepaw sneezed as a snowflake landed on her muzzle. She shook it off and wished she could sit up, as the ground was terribly cold. She made a point to listen intently, and showed the StarClan cat this by angling her ears toward him and widening her eyes.

"Listen, because I will only say this once. _The hunters will become hunted. One will go to seek other places._" And with that his dark body started to fade.

"Wait!" Mousepaw leaped up into his form, ignoring the searing pain shooting into her shoulder. "Who is this one?" But he was gone, and only his rocky scent lingered.

With a sigh Mousepaw hobbled back to camp in the direction she thought it was. She thought about what the dark cat had said. _One will go to seek other places._ She halted briefly and frowned. _I want to go other places, don't I? So surely he must be talking about me. Why else would he be telling me, and not a medicine cat?_

By now she was sure Clearpelt must be dead. She knew, even from common sense, that no cat could survive a severed leg without medicine cat care. Not even ThunderClan's medicine cat could do anything.

She eventually padded into camp warily, partly from exhaustion. Mousepaw first spotted Badgerstar perched atop his speaking rock, watching the Clan with a flicking tail. He ran frantically down the path of loose stones leading up to the boulder as he saw Mousepaw limp into the middle of camp. He reached her almost instantly, and faced her with worry shimmering in his green eyes.

"Clearpelt's hurt," Mousepaw croaked. "By the ThunderClan border. Not an attack."

He gave a swift nod, though she could tell he was more than troubled by the news. "What about you? You're hurt too," he mewed, touching a claw to her injured paw tucked tight under her chest.

Mousepaw narrowed her eyes. "I'll live. Clearpelt won't, not for much longer."

His shoulders sagged, and for once Mousepaw could tell that Badgerstar was finally showing his old age, finally—if silently—admitting he was no longer the proud, fearless leader he once was. "Oakwhisker!" he called, the deputy instantly bounding to his side. "Form a patrol to meet by the ThunderClan border. Quickly. Bring Ashfeather, too."

Oakwhisker nodded, but his eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Just do it." Badgerstar sighed and backed up towards the path of rocks leading up to his den. "Don't question your leader."

Oakwhisker opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out. Instead he turned around, and Mousepaw caught him muttering under his breath as he leaped up on the jutting rock and started calling cats to him.

_Well, thanks for asking how I was doing._ Mousepaw walked carefully towards the apprentice's den, passing the pile of prey with a grumbling stomach. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

Then she stopped. Her belly was louder than her mind. So she turned, her good foreleg burning from supporting most of her weight, and leaned down towards the pile. Surprisingly, her vole from yesterday was still there, resting neatly on top. She picked it up carefully and hobbled towards the clearing between the warrior's and apprentice's den.

Mousepaw ate in silence. No cats were in camp. No one had asked her how she acquired her injury. Did they even care?

And then movement. Sandytail emerged from the medicine cat den—even though Ashfeather was not present— and padded up to Rockypelt, who was sitting by the boulder that Oakwhisker always spoke on. His large black paws were kneading the ground. The ginger she-cat brushed her muzzle against his and murmured something in his ear. Rockypelt leaped up, amber eyes shining; Mousepaw could hear his incredibly loud purrs from across camp.

Mousepaw trained her eyes on the apprentice den near her, where Hoppaw and Elkpaw's voices met her rounded ears. Surely one of them would make sufficient mates?

She sighed and brushed the bones of her vole to the side. Sandytail trotted into the warrior's den, looking considerably fatter. Rockypelt followed, straight ears perked.

"Are you okay?"

Mousepaw gazed upward to see Thornblade standing over her, round blue eyes wide with worry.

"Sure." She placed her head on her paws as her mother settled in beside her. She wanted nothing more than to blurt out about the prophecy and her escape-in-progress—but something held her back.

"You don't seem like yourself." Mousepaw relaxed as Thornblade's soft tone drifted over the fur in her ears, so much like when all three of them were huddled against her white belly fur, listening to stories retold over so many generations they were etched in every WindClan cat's heart.

"Oh. I feel fine though," she insisted, holding up her injured forepaw. "Except for, you know, that."

Thornblade let out a purr and gazed out at camp. "I remember when your father was just an apprentice when I met him."

Mousepaw didn't miss her mother's wording. "Met? Not…"—did she dare say it—"grew up with?"

The orange-and-gray tabby drew her tongue over her jaws, not wavering from her stare at the barren camp. Then after a few heartbeats she looked Mousepaw in the eye. "I was born a kittypet. And I lived with Twolegs only six months."

Mousepaw could only stare in shock. _I'm not a Clanborn cat._ She had no time to speak as her mother went on.

"They left me with no food, no water, barely a shelter. Thank StarClan they left the cat flap open." Thornblade shook her head sadly and closed her eyes. "I bolted after a few days, you know. Looked around the alleys. Met some, uh, others." She opened her eyes again, resuming her look at camp.

"Anyway, I found myself wandering around the edge of a large wood, at least a moon…" She halted.

Mousepaw cocked her head. "A moon…?"

Thornblade exhaled. "With kits."

The brown apprentice could only wonder. _Us three? Or others?_

"ThunderClan refused me, big jerks. So I scampered away to Fourtrees. A WindClan cat was there, and he saw my state, brought me here." Thornblade gazed wistfully at the sky. "I never left."

Now Mousepaw found words. "So Coalfeather…" her voice broke. "Isn't my…father?"

Thornblade snapped her head to stare at Mousepaw. "He is your father! He takes care of you, brings food to this Clan so you can feed your belly, plays with you…" She sighed in exasperation. "That's what fathers do!"

"But he didn't _father_ me." Mousepaw stood up with difficulty, fighting back her tears. "You lied to all of us."

"I didn't mean to." Thornblade flicked her tail and sat on her haunches. "It was easier that way, and everyone else accepted it."

"Did you think how easy it would be for _me_?" Mousepaw started to back up, face twisted. "You lied!" In a sudden bold moment she swiped her paw across her mother's face, drawing three long streaks of blood.

Mousepaw rushed out of camp before retaliation occurred, vowing to find this father of hers.

…_Then_ she would leave.

* * *

**So... What do you think? Will Mousepaw try to find her real father? ****Do you think she is still putting off leaving for a certain reason? ****How will Icepaw find out?  
**

**Find out soon!**

**woof**


	7. Thoughts

**Enjoy~.**

* * *

Mousepaw woke up before dawn. She usually did this, and hoped it would happen again—which it did. She stretched involuntarily, claws brushing Adderpaw's nose. She retracted them with a start, and stared at the tabby.

_If I leave, I may never come back. _She didn't like the thought of it. So much was here, yet nothing was here. Rules and boundaries kept her from achieving her goal: see the world. And as much as she liked an organized Clan, she still wanted to know what was out there.

She didn't need to be with Adderpaw. Sure, she'd like to be. But she didn't _have_ to be. It was a weird feeling. She licked the tom's nose, then stood up and faced the camp.

The sky was still dark. The moon was still bright. Snow still littered the ground. The ground was still cold. Cold still lingered in the air. It seemed she had slept only a little while. Dawn was far away. But Mousepaw was not tired. Her paws itched and her ears pricked. She was ready.

Clambering over her sister, Mousepaw looked around. Nobody was awake—unsurprisingly to her. She squinted in the dim light, but could see quite well.

As she padded out of camp through the dirtplace tunnel and onto the moors, wind blowing her ear fur, she wondered something. How would she know who her father was? How would she cope alone, facing dogs with only the dreadful tales of them? How would she know what to do in a strange place?

Suddenly her idea to find her father didn't seem like such a good idea after all. Even if she did impossibly manage to find him, would he know who she was? Who Thornblade was? Anybody?

As questions raced across her mind, her one good paw dipped and she lost her balance. For a fearful and fleeting moment she thought she had encountered another rabbit hole. After all, her paw still hurt terribly. She didn't walk on it, causing another problem, and more questions she was too sick of to recount.

But the dip was only a hollow full of snow. Clambering out of it, she looked in the direction of Twolegplace. She'd have to cross ThunderClan's territory. And that was something she did not want to do.

_It can wait. He can wait._

* * *

**Will Mousepaw learn to control her undecided thoughts? Find out soon!**

**woof**


	8. The First Decision

Mousepaw kneaded her paws in anticipation. Tonight was her first Gathering. She and the three other new apprentices were going, as well as their mentors. She twisted around and stared at her pelt, lapping at a piece of fur. She wanted to look her best to meet all the other cats.

She looked up at the moon, full and bright and glittering in the night sky. Silverpelt blazed, stars twinkling, and with a sharp but short pain she remembered Pinekit.

"Hey, Mousepaw!" Going to the Gathering?"

At the sound of her sister's voice Mousepaw whipped around. The white she-cat had certainly grown in the past moon, reaching Mousepaw with a few bounds.

"Yes, of course," she mewed, a bit puzzled. "Badgerstar just announced it."

"Oh, right." Icepaw licked a paw and drew it over her ears.

_Something's up._ Wordlessly Mousepaw turned tail and saw her Clanmates lined up by the gorse entrance. Thankfully, Ashfeather had said nothing about her departure, instead just muttering under her breath. Her injured paw was much better.

They left with a yowl from Oakwhisker, and Mousepaw slid in beside Rushflight as they padded out of camp.

Once onto the moors, Mousepaw fell back to brush pelts with Icepaw. She wasn't going to wait to ask what was wrong.

"What's up?" she asked briskly, matching her steps as they followed the patrol.

Icepaw snorted and twitched her whiskers. "I don't know."

Mousepaw hopped over an old rabbit hole. "I know you better than that. Come on."

Icepaw followed, her paws making a softer sound as she landed. "I can't tell you."

The brown apprentice sighed. "Alright." She scampered away and went a little too far, reaching Badgerstar's side. She was at his shoulder—and realized with a start she was growing fast.

Soon Fourtrees loomed over them. Feeling trapped, Mousepaw shrank back against a black pelt.

"I know, trees are terrible. Come sit in the middle, we're the first ones here." Badgerstar moved away from her slowly and pointed with his tail to a spot in the center of the clearing.

Gratefully Mousepaw dipped her head to her mentor and moved into the space. Adderpaw sat by her on one side, but purposefully avoided her gaze as he scented the air with his mouth open.

Mousepaw frowned. _What's your problem?_

Just as Badgerstar started to climb the Great Rock, some cat yowled, "RiverClan is here!"

Mousepaw searched around as fishy-smelling pelts streamed into the clearing. Their bodies were thick-furred, plump, and sleek, much unlike the lean, lithe WindClan cats. A speckled gray tom gracefully leaped onto the Great Rock, greeting Badgerstar with a curt nod. The WindClan leader murmured something Mousepaw couldn't hear, and the gray tom's eyes grew wide.

"Go explore." Rushflight came up suddenly behind her and nudged her with his white muzzle. "Talk to the apprentices, but don't say anything about the Clan. They're rivals, after all."

Mousepaw nodded respectfully and searched for the youngest-looking cats, spotting a brown she-cat with a russet tom sitting by the edge of the clearing.

Padding up to them slowly, Mousepaw was unsure of what to say. She flattened her ears and murmured, "I'm Mousepaw. Of-of WindClan."

The brown she-cat purred and dipped her head in greeting. "Hawkpaw. This is my brother, Falconpaw." Hawkpaw leaned down, her whiskers tickling Mousepaw's ear as she spoke. "He can be a mousebrain sometimes…well, most of the time."

Mousepaw snickered. She met the gaze of the russet tom, his green eyes beaming at her. There was something very unusual about his fur; the tip of each strand was pure golden. His fluffy, kit-like fur stuck up through his claws on his very furry, large paws.

A yowl from Badgerstar silenced the two Clans. "As you may or may not know, many kits were made apprentices during the last moon." Mousepaw straightened up as he continued. "So, in honor of the plentiful season, the Gathering will be extended! As long as StarClan keeps the moon clear, feel free to catch up on old friends…or make new ones."

Suddenly the scent of ferns and bracken filled the air, and a new type of cat streamed into the clearing. These were stocky and their faces proud, but painfully thin.

"That's ThunderClan," Hawkpaw murmured. "They're running out of food fast, and everyone knows it."

A small golden she-cat trotted up to the three apprentices. Mousepaw forced herself to look away from her showing ribs and instead focused on her happy expression. _Poor things._

"Hi, Lightpaw!" Hawkpaw mewed cheerfully, touching noses with the small cat.

Sheepishly Lightpaw ducked her head. "Is ShadowClan here yet? I wanted to speak with Shellstar, but those pine-stinking cats always stop me!"

Hawkpaw let out a loud purr. "Nope, and there's no rush. Badgerstar said as long as the moon shines we could talk."

"Thanks!" Lightpaw flicked her ears before departing, heading to the large rock.

Mousepaw's head spun. There were a lot of pelts she didn't recognize, and so many faces she wanted to get to know. She looked up at the rock, seeing Lightpaw. The golden she-cat had a distressed look on her face, but through the commotion she couldn't hear what the ThunderClan apprentice was saying. Shellstar, which she figured was the RiverClan leader, had his back to Mousepaw, so she was unable to see his response.

Frustrated, Mousepaw turned back to Hawkpaw. "Why doesn't ThunderClan have any food?"

Hawkpaw was about to reply when ShadowClan arrived. Their dark pelts filled in all of the remaining spots.

A loud voice started to yowl. Mousepaw could just scent Lightpaw coming up on her other side.

"ShadowClan is doing well," a ginger she-cat started. "Flowerpaw and Acornpaw were made apprentices. There's been a fox scented on our territory, and it headed in your direction, Badgerstar. Watch out for it."

The black tom gave a short nod. "Thank you, Gingerstar."

Mousepaw beamed when he stepped forward. "WindClan is thriving. Four kits made it to apprenticeship this moon. We welcome Icepaw, Adderpaw, Mousepaw, and Ryepaw!"

The Clans repeated the names. Mousepaw ducked her head in embarrassment.

Shellstar spoke next. "Prey runs well, and we have a new apprentice, Fishpaw, who will become medicine cat in due time." He seemed agitated, claws flexing. "A young ThunderClan apprentice approached me during this Gathering and pleaded that I share this running prey." Mousepaw felt Lightpaw flinch as the gray leader swept his gaze over the clearing. "However, I can kindly but sadly say that it would be impossible to share fish with mouse-eating cats."

Gasps erupted from the cats below, though Mousepaw noticed RiverClan was silent.

"In saying this, I ask WindClan to consider sharing their prey, for even though we are rivals, no Clan can starve." He flicked his tail and padded backwards, signifying the end of his report.

Mousepaw stared at her mentor intently.

The black tom stepped forward until his paws curled around the edge of the rock. "SkyClan was driven out because they had no territory. Where are they now?" He paused, glaring down at each cat. "Guilt hangs over our ancestors because of the wrongs committed by them. How would you all feel with three Clans?"

Silence. Mousepaw held her breath in awe of her leader. He was so bold, so smart, so—

"WindClan is only different from the others by speed, agility. We are lithe. ThunderClan is stocky. ShadowClan is stealthy. RiverClan is well-built." Badgerstar flattened his ears. "We all have the same heart: of a loyal cat." He turned his head behind him, giving some sort of expression back to the leaders before resuming his talk.

"So, yes, WindClan is more than happy to share its prey with ThunderClan. Any ThunderClan cat is welcomed across the border and into our camp to get prey needed." The black tom stepped back and sat down.

"Badgerstar!" ThunderClan's leader—Petalstar, Mousepaw learned—stepped forward with a joyful yowl. "ThunderClan will find some way to repay you for what you show us."

Mousepaw noticed no other leader was saying anything. Gingerstar looked away. Shellstar's face was void of emotion.

"The Gathering is over," Petalstar concluded, leaping down from the Great Rock.

Mousepaw followed Badgerstar out, giving a goodbye wave of her tail to Lightpaw. She would see the she-cat again soon.

She pondered over what her mentor had said. Three Clans would be so odd. Yet, there were once five. How did SkyClan feel? Did they go to StarClan even though they didn't live in the Clan territories?

Mousepaw shook her head. She looked forward to meeting with ThunderClan. Maybe she could learn more about them.

_Yes,_ she thought, gazing proudly at her leader. _Thanks, Badgerstar._

* * *

**Will Mousepaw take the first step in finding her origins? Or will she decide to stay after all this time?**

**IMPORTANT!: Everyone who reads this story should read this as well. Most of the chapters have been updated (namely 2, 5, and 7). Please re-read the _entire_ story once more to get the plot down as some things have changed. Sorry! I also apologize for my absence (it's been over a month). So I am uploading _three_ new chapters to compensate! Enjoy~.**

**woof**


	9. Finally Going

**Triple upload!  
**

* * *

_"But, Mama, why did the other Clans throw SkyClan out?" _

_ An orange-and-gray tabby she-cat wrapped her thick tail around her kit as she responded. "They were selfish, and unwilling to share what they had." _

_ The kit cocked her head. "You mean like how Pinekit didn't share his moss balls with me?"_

_ The tabby purred. "Certainly. And he learned his lesson, didn't he?" _

_ The kit leaped up, pale green eyes bright. "Yeah! Oh, boy, he was so mad when he had to spend a day helping Sheeppaw with the elders." She flexed her claws. "That showed him."_

_ A thoughtful frown formed on the she-cat's face. "So do you think the other Clans deserved a punishment like your brother?"_

_ The same thoughtful expression was obvious on the kit as she let out a little growl. "I don't know. Suppose so."_

_ "Well, no cat gave them a punishment."_

_ The kit took this opportunity to use a new word she had learned. "Absurd!" she squeaked._

_ "Not at all. Their punishment was inside, and it haunted them forever. It's called guilt. You'll learn about it soon enough."_

_ A thrash of her tail, and the kit leaped out of the nest. "I'll make sure every cat that does a wrong gets punished!" she said, in hopes her mother would approve. Her body was turned towards the entrance, ready to scamper out, but her eyes were still trained on the blue orbs of the tabby's._

_ But the tabby only purred again. "Run along, my kit, and never forget to have a heart for more."_

Mousepaw awoke with a satisfied snort. The bodies of all six apprentices around her comforted her, and she stared into camp. It was dark, and glimmers of blue brimmed on the horizon, showing it was not yet dawn.

The dream—memory, rather—gave Mousepaw renewed…something. Something inside her was happier, fuller, as if she had just eaten until her belly was close to bursting.

Mousepaw turned back to the sleeping forms behind her. Sheeppaw was across from her, white pelt glowing in the dimness of pre-dawn. Icepaw's fur, exposed to the cold, was much the same.

But then there was Adderpaw. He had taken up the spot Mousepaw—and most everyone—wanted, just by Elkpaw, close up to the back to the nest. His spine was pressed against the soft sheepswool, a small smile creasing his face as he slept.

Mousepaw had grown a liking to the tabby. She was not sure why. Maybe it was to replace Pinekit; after all, they both had the same brown tabby fur and glistening amber eyes. Perhaps she just wanted a friend. Whatever the reason, Mousepaw thought of Adderpaw as hers—for now, at least.

Still, a niggling thought kept her from enjoying her time at the Clans. She did want to see more. She wanted to find her father. See the world. And, she considered for the second time, she didn't _need_ to be with Adderpaw. It was not necessary. But it was a want, like most things.

"Are you awake?"

Mousepaw started at the whisper and turned her head, seeing bright amber eyes. And only one apprentice had them.

Adderpaw.

"Sure," she whispered back.

He flicked an ear. "Can't sleep?"

Mousepaw shrugged, keeping her tone soft. "Truthfully, I'm just not tired anymore."

Adderpaw yawned, stretching his legs so far they reached Mousepaw's own. "Do you want to take a walk until dawn?"

Mousepaw's heart fluttered. She wouldn't dare to ask him the same thing—from shyness, mostly. But if she knew Adderpaw—and she thought she did—he wasn't like that at all.

"Of course."

Adderpaw followed Mousepaw out of the den quietly. The moon, though low, still shined bright and full, reminding her of the Gathering the previous night. No snow fell, though a thin layer covered the ground.

Foxrun and Pigeonwing were standing guard, their faces dropping from staying away all night. Pigeonwing's gray ears perked when the pawsteps of Mousepaw and Adderpaw sounded by him.

"Be careful," the tom warned. "There's still that fox roaming around."

Foxrun snickered. "Hey, that reminds me…"

His voice faded as the apprentices padded out. The moors were calm. No winds stirred the dusting of snow, and it crunched underpaw as Mousepaw sat down. Adderpaw followed, and the two, brushing pelts, gazed out at the scene before them.

No one spoke for a while. Then Adderpaw twitched his whiskers. "The ground is cold. Do you want to walk? I want to ask you something."

Mousepaw, a little apprehensive, but nonetheless curious, nodded and padded with the apprentice side-by-side. They came to a spot that Mousepaw hadn't noticed before. There was a hollow, a dip in the ground, sheltered from the wind. It looked as though a cat had reached down from StarClan and taken a pawful of dirt with him.

"Isn't this cool?" Adderpaw asked, staring at the dip.

Mousepaw purred in amusement. "Is that what you wanted to ask me?"

He snorted. "No. I _wanted_ to ask…" He stopped.

Mousepaw patiently walked around the hollow, observing it. It was full of snow, but otherwise pretty.

As he paused and waited, Mousepaw gazed wistfully at ThunderClan's territory. Just beyond it, she knew, was Twolegplace. Where Firestar, long gone, had grown up. Where the rules were different, where everything was new. It was a longing, a deeper longing than wanting to be with the tabby in her presence.

Adderpaw cleared his throat. Mousepaw looked up, apology sparkling in her green gaze. "Sorry. What?"

"I wanted to know if you'd be w-with…" He couldn't seem to get it out.

Mousepaw understood him. _With me, _she finished. But her heart was tugging at her paws, and her paws were leading her away from what she had now. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "But I…can't. Not now." _Not ever._

He huffed. "Not, now? So, later?"

Mousepaw just shrugged. _No._

Badgerstar flicked his tail. "Let all cats old enough to run on the moors gather here for a Clan meeting!"

Mousepaw dropped her moss ball and hastily scampered out of the den, apologizing to Puddlewhisker and promising to clear the rest of his ticks later.

The walk with Adderpaw in the morning had certainly energized Mousepaw physically, but she was still tired. She offered to give the three older apprentices a break, and did all of the duties for them. Extra hunting patrols were sent out, for the case that ThunderClan would arrive.

She took her usual spot in the back and watched her mentor speak. "There are three apprentices worthy of becoming warriors today!"

Ryepaw, beside Mousepaw, pounded her paws on the frozen floor of the camp. "It's about time we got rid of Elkpaw's snoring."

Mousepaw snickered, but otherwise kept herself focused on Badgerstar.

"Hoppaw, step forward."

The tom did just so.

"Honeynose, do you believe that your apprentice is ready to take on the duties of a warrior?"

The ginger she-cat nodded. "Most certainly."

Badgerstar flicked his tail. "Very well. By the powers of StarClan, I give this cat his warrior name. Hoppaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Hopfoot. StarClan honors your readiness and quick-thinking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

"Hopfoot!" The Clan cheered.

Mousepaw smiled. The name suited him well.

"Sheeppaw, step forward," Badgerstar called.

And she did.

"Rockypelt, is Sheeppaw ready to become a warrior?

The black tom purred. "Yes."

Badgerstar sniffed. "Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give her her warrior name. Sheeppaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Sheepfur! StarClan honors your patience and loyalty, and we welcome you as a warrior of WindClan."

"Sheepfur!" The Clan called again.

"And last but not least, Elkpaw. Step forward, young one. Sandytail, I trust he is fit to be a warrior?"

Sandytail poked her head out through the nursery. "Surely."

"StarClan grants this tom his warrior name. Elkpaw, from this moment onward, you will be known as Elkstep! StarClan honors your courage and reasoning, and we welcome you as a true warrior of WindClan."

"Hopfoot! Sheepfur! Elkstep!" came the cheers.

As the Clan greeted the new apprentices, Mousepaw took this time to go back to the only elder. Puddlewhisker was still seated in his single nest, grooming his gray tabby fur with a pink tongue.

"Oh, Mousepaw. How wonderful to see you again." He stopped licking and pointed with his tail to behind his neck. "I think there's two back there."

Mousepaw, wrinkling her nose, picked up the bile-filled moss and removed the last ticks—three, actually. They fell off soundlessly.

"Ah, that's better. It's nice to not have little creatures sucking your blood."

Mousepaw parted her jaws and laughed—which Puddlewhisker never failed to make her do.

"Well, we should get ready for the first ThunderClan wave," Mousepaw said, already starting to leave.

Puddlewhisker piped up. "You're so chipper today! Anything wrong?" His blue eyes were playful.

Mousepaw laughed again. "Oh, stop it, Puddlewhisker! You always know what gets me."

"Sure do. Now run along. Maybe Badgerstar will take you out to hunt more?"

The brown apprentice nodded and scampered off. She didn't hope he would, though. The leader was increasingly weakening, even if he didn't show it. Mousepaw had spent enough training sessions with him to realize this.

Hopfoot ran up to her and nuzzled her ear. "I'm a warrior! What do you think? Like the name?"

"Hopfoot!" Mousepaw jerked away. "Stop that."

"Oh." His pale blue gaze faltered. "All right, then. I thought you'd… you know. Be happy for me or something." The brown tom walked away, but his head was raised and his ears perked, showing what Mousepaw said didn't faze him.

_Toms._ Mousepaw rolled her eyes.

Badgerstar, who had come down from his perch, approached his apprentice. Mousepaw noticed he had a slight limp in one hind leg. "We need to hunt. Petalstar told me yesterday that she'd send some warriors over throughout the day for prey."

Mousepaw, downfallen, but slightly surprised that Puddlewhisker was right, followed him out of camp.

"Are you okay with giving an enemy Clan our prey?" She asked, making sure she was downwind as she crouched, following the jerky steps of a hare.

He seemed surprised. "They're not an enemy Clan! It's my home Clan."

Mousepaw stifled a snort, remembering the prey they were after. "Oh. Right. I forgot."

But he did snort—rather loudly. "I didn't."

The hare, stiffening, bolted. Annoyed, Mousepaw sprinted after it. Badgerstar made a wide half-circled to cut it off. It worked, and the hare, confused, ran right into Mousepaw's paws. She leaped on it, feeling the bones crunch under her jaws as she clamped down.

"Well done!" Badgerstar, panting slightly and his limp more visible, purred. "Best catch of the day."

Mousepaw shrugged. "Eh, we both caught it. Carry it back to camp, and I'll find another."

He frowned in mock surprise. "Well! Look at you ordering around your own leader." The black tom shoved her shoulder with a paw. "You're learning quickly."

"Why shouldn't I?" Mousepaw responded, feeling proud. "You taught me, after all."

"And I _am_ teaching you." He picked up the hare. "Later."

Mousepaw flicked her ears, trying to detect more scents. But there was nothing, and no movement caught her eye. Nonetheless, she sat down, letting the wind calm her.

There was movement. But not prey, Mousepaw realized. Cats. Cats crossing the Thunderpath and tearing down the moor. She saw them before they even left their own territory, scented them as the wind changed.

Hackles raised, Mousepaw stood on all four paws. She lifted her snout high and made her gaze seem confident. After all, she had the body of a warrior already—just not the name of one.

The cats approached. A cream she-cat, the same one that met Mousepaw when Clearpelt was caught, accompanied Lightpaw, who met Mousepaw with a friendly smile. There was a tom, with gray tabby fur and white patches, too, who uncomfortably shuffled his paws.

Mousepaw nodded to them. "Here for prey, I presume."

The cream she-cat nodded. "Oh, yes. We're starving!"

Mousepaw narrowed her eyes. "Uh-huh." She studied their bodies: all thin, all bony, all weak. She realized with mild surprise that they would be the perfect targets for attack.

"Okay. Follow me, and don't touch our rabbits. We have enough for your whole Clan and half of ours in camp." Mousepaw turned tail and started to pad back, hearing the light pawsteps of the cats behind her.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Lightpaw answered, scampering up to Mousepaw's side. "They're too fast for us."

Mousepaw, feeling as though she had to act like a warrior, just nodded again. "I know."

They reached camp only after Mousepaw had to stop the tabby from chasing down a rabbit. He apologized afterward, insisting his belly was louder than his mind. Mousepaw, seeing his soft fur, realized he must be a new apprentice. Nonetheless, she promised he'd get half of his share for doing that.

Badgerstar greeted them with purrs. "Welcome, Creamstep. Lightpaw. And who's this?" He asked, staring at the tabby.

The tom avoided the leader's gaze. "Patchpaw," he mumbled.

Badgerstar stood up. "Well, come on now. I'm sure you want breakfast."

"Oh, Badgerstar!" Mousepaw called. "This new apprentice only gets half of his share. He tried to take one off of the moors."

The black tom flicked his ear in response.

Mousepaw sat down in her favorite spot, the clearing between the apprentice's and warrior's dens. From here, she could see the whole camp.

But she kept her gaze focused on the ThunderClan warriors. Each carried two rabbits, Patchpaw one. Mousepaw felt proud. _I did the right thing. _Creamstep pressed her nose to Badgerstar's shoulder, and Lightpaw did the same. Patchpaw held back.

Mousepaw then understood: Badgerstar was still close to ThunderClan. He kept in touch with his former Clanmates. It was a dangerous thing to do, and she wondered if anyone had found out yet.

But as the ThunderClan cats turned away and started to pad out of camp, Rushflight following, Mousepaw couldn't help but wonder. Where was Badgerstar most loyal to? Was his heart still stuck in ThunderClan?

Hopfoot, appearing in Mousepaw's vision once again, lay down beside her. Uncomfortable, Mousepaw tried to shuffle away.

"Hey, Mousepaw."

She sighed. "What do you want now?"

"Well, I'm a warrior. And—"

Mousepaw turned on him. "I _know_ you're a warrior. You've said that plenty of times."

He sat back on his haunches, pale blue eyes shining in the sunhigh light. "Right. And I was thinking that we could, you know. Do what warriors do?"

Mousepaw, confused, stared. "I'm not a warrior."

He nodded. "Oh, I know. Soon you'll be one. And then we _could,_ know what I mean? Hit it off."

Mousepaw's eyes widened, but not in surprise. Not in disbelief. Not in shock. But in anger.

She leaped at him, bowling him over. With one paw pinned on his chest, she lowered her muzzle close to his ear, but kept her voice loud.

"You lie to me, Hopfoot. I saw you with Icepaw. _Saw you_." He opened his mouth, but Mousepaw cuffed his nose with a sheathed paw. "You're a player, Hopfoot. I know it."

A gasp. Mousepaw glanced up to see cats gazing at them.

"Now, leave me alone. I don't want to, how you say, hit it off. I don't care!" She shoved his shoulders with her forepaws. "Foxdung!" she called after him, watching the brown tom heave himself to his paws and scamper out of camp.

Tail lashing, Mousepaw padded into the apprentice's den and plopped down, barely aware of her sister until she piped up.

"Dang, Mousepaw. You got tough."

Mousepaw snorted. "I have to be."

"I'm sorry that we—"

"No." Mousepaw turned to her sister, calmed down now. "It's fine."

Icepaw huffed. She placed her head on her paws. "That's what was bothering me."

Mousepaw perked her ears. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I know he does that, but I couldn't help myself. Such a handsome tom…" she trailed off. "But I know you, Mousepaw. You wouldn't do that if you didn't like someone else." She propped herself up on her forepaws. "Go on. Tell me. Hopfoot's been mooning over you since you were a kit."

The brown apprentice sighed. So much was going on, it seemed—the prophecy, which didn't really seem like one to her—the fact that her father was still out there, roaming the alleys of Twolegplace—their prey being lost to ThunderClan every day. So much she had to do, so much to remember. Why couldn't life be normal?

"Adderpaw. Who else?" she replied.

"Oh, you got that look in your eyes!" Icepaw squealed. "Yup. It's official."

Mousepaw snorted. "Icepaw, cats have been mooning since the dawn of the Clans."

"I know!" the white she-cat mewed. "But this is more exciting than that."

Shaking her head, Mousepaw let out another snort. "Sure. I want to tell you something."

Icepaw focused her blue gaze on her sister. "Yeah?"

Mousepaw exhaled. She was ready. "I'm leaving."

Her blue eyes widened and her whiskers twitched. "Forever?"

"Probably."

"Why?"

"I want to."

"You're leaving everything you know, your family. Me. Adderpaw. The Clans." Icepaw stared, dumbfounded. "Why?" she asked again.

"Because I want to," Mousepaw repeated, getting to her paws. "I'll go at dusk, and—"

A yowl from outside cut them off. "Attack!"

* * *

**Uh oh... Will Mousepaw fight for her Clan? Or is it just a false alarm? How will Icepaw and Adderpaw react?**

**Find out now as part of your triple upload!**

**woof**


	10. One Who Seeks

**Enjoy the last part of your triple upload!**

* * *

Mousepaw jumped up in alarm and raced out into camp.

Gingerstar's paws were locked with Badgerstar's as they tussled. Rushflight and Frostshine were pummeling their paws against a black-and-white tom. A white she-cat had her jaws clamped in Pouncefoot's shoulder.

_If I don't leave now, I never will._ Mousepaw looked briefly at the camp entrance. Guilt. Suddenly she remembered her dream—her memory. _You'll learn about it soon enough,_ her mother had said. Now, she was realizing what guilt felt like.

She was leaving her Clan. Her family. Icepaw's words stung. Her paws were tingling, though. Her heart was tugging those tingling paws once again to explore.

Mousepaw's last look at her Clan was a dreadful one. Badgerstar's paws were stained pink as he laid in a pool of his own blood. Thornblade and Coalfeather were fighting side-by-side, the tabby's white fur stained red and dirty brown. Adderpaw was managing on his own, but barely.

Turning away, and fighting everything she felt, Mousepaw fled.

Her paws skimmed across the surface of the moors as she ran faster than she ever had. Snow was kicked up by these paws until she had made a clear trail of it. Pawprints were scored deep and rabbit holes were not looked for.

The Thunderpath was cleared of this snow. Monsters roared past at impressive speeds. The fur on Mousepaw's cheeks was blown back each time one came by, and bits of gritty, black stuff littered her fur.

She exhaled, breath billowing in front of her face before dissipating into the cool air. Was she really going to leave? Her answer came instantly: yes.

Mousepaw looked back. Faint yowls drifted around her ears. She felt like a coward, for leaving her Clan when they needed her most. She felt like a coward for leaving her family and not even telling them. It would be up to Icepaw to break the horrid news.

But the fact that she was doing what few in the Clans did energized her. She looked past the Thunderpath into ThunderClan's territory. She could skirt around the edges and be in Twolegplace by sundown. Maybe she could find one of Firestar's old friends—if they were still there.

She looked left and right to make sure no more monsters were coming. Then she placed an ear on the hard surface to see if she could hear or feel any vibrations. None. She was safe. Mousepaw raced across, barely feeling the Thunderpath under her paws as she took one long bound. No monsters hit her. Taking one last look at her former life, Mousepaw took off towards ThunderClan.

Their territory was full of oak and maple trees and ferns and brambles. Her paws constantly got tripped up and caught in these bushes. Prey scurried in her vision, and she remembered with annoyance she forgot to eat before leaving. What prey would be in Twolegplace? Rats? Crowfood?

But she shook her head. She would find her father, finally. The truth seemed very important to her at this time. Maybe he'd been looking for Thornblade. Maybe he cared about his kits he didn't know about.

No patrols spotted her. Once, she hid behind a bramble bush—not the best idea, she realized afterward—to avoid one, but otherwise she had no trouble.

The sun was dipping. Mousepaw kept her belly low and her steps quick. Oddly, she knew where Twolegplace was. Something inside her heart traveled down to her paws and told her the direction it was. Her heart and paws seemed to work together a lot.

Her stomach rumbled. Mousepaw shook her head once more. _No food,_ she told herself. _I'll eat in Twolegplace._

And just as that thought occurred, she found it. Big dens of hard stuff. That was all she could think now, as she looked at them. Suddenly she wished she had listened to Puddlewhisker's stories more when she was a kit.

Nose to the ground, Mousepaw observed it. The grass was considerably greener. Crickets chirped and insects buzzed around her round ears. Lights flickered inside in the dens before going out completely. A large brown structure obscured her vision. Mousepaw craned her neck to look up at it. It ended in points which seemed sharp. Bunching her muscles, she leaped.

The top of the structure was not as sharp as she thought. It wobbled under her weight and she swayed for a couple of heartbeats.

"Whoa." Mousepaw tried to gain her balance and stuck her tail out straight. She put one paw on each of the pillars and looked to the dens.

This one had over-turned round things in the yard. The grass was clipped all the way to the ground. Smoke billowed out of the top of the den.

Mousepaw's eyes grew wide. _Is it on fire?_ But no flames appeared and the smoke continued to flow.

There was a clear hole in the den where dirt and grass sat neatly inside of a reddish-looking round thing. Mousepaw cocked her head. _Twolegs sure are weird._

Then her paws started to ache. In spite of this, Mousepaw kept standing. She wanted to see more.

And more she did see.

An orange tabby cat jumped onto the surface by the grass in the clear hole. A blue collar was wrapped around its neck. Green eyes gleamed. And then the cat disappeared.

Mousepaw was holding her breath the entire time and hoped to StarClan the cat did not see her. She breathed a sigh of relief when his plump form left her vision.

She walked along the structure, getting the feel for it. Eventually, her pads got used to the points and she kept her balance. The sun was gone now, but the little suns coming from the back of the dens illuminated the night.

_My father. My father._ What did he look like? Thornblade had mentioned nothing about that. Was he still alive? Still around here, even?

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Mousepaw squeaked and she lost her balance. She toppled off of the structure and landed face-first onto the clipped grass of the yard. Shaking her fur, she looked around wildly.

The orange tabby was calmly licking a paw. He stopped and twitched his whiskers. Mouth parted slightly, he reared back in mild surprise. "A wild cat?"

Mousepaw's eyes widened again. She unsheathed her claws and bared her teeth. "Yeah. We eat the bones of kittypets for breakfast and line our pelts with your nests! I mean, er, your pelts with our—"

The tabby snickered. "I know what you _do._ I want to know why you're _here, _and not eating some cat's bones."

Mousepaw flattened her ears. Every time the cat spoke, a tinkling came from his collar. His fur was short. His body was fat. Obviously, he had never chased a wren. Or a mouse. She straightened up and fluffed out some of her fur. "I want to find my father. Do you know him?"

He scoffed and stretched. "I _might._ What's his name?"

"That's just it," Mousepaw meowed, feeling downfallen already. "I don't know."

"Well, I won't help you. Off you pop." The tabby turned tail and started walking towards the den.

"Wait!" Mousepaw called. "Do you know a Thornblade?"

He halted. Mousepaw's trickle of hope turned into a pool. The fat cat turned around and lashed his tail once. "Used to know a Thorn. Prowled around here. Real pretty. _Real _pretty. Fancy cat. I asked her what her favorite brand of milk was and everything—"

Mousepaw pricked her ears. This cat knew her mother. He knew her. He knew. She kept repeating this to reassure herself. Then she had a sudden thought. "It's not possible by happenstance that _you're _my father, is it?"

"Ha!" The orange cat parted his jaws in a laugh. "She was already preggers by the time I saw her. We shared food and stuff, but I wasn't going to mess with her."

Mousepaw sighed. "Okay. Do you know who she was with?"

He shook his head. "I wish I did."

"Okay," Mousepaw said again. She leaped up the structure again and looked down at the cat who was trotting towards the den once more. "Thanks!"

His tabby tail disappeared behind a hole in the den, and he was gone.

With a huff, Mousepaw looked around Twolegplace. Thornblade was here. Maybe, just maybe, others would know her too. Eventually, her father would be found.

_Please,_ she begged. _Let there be food._

But she didn't want to find food _now._ Looking up at the sky, Mousepaw realized it was much too late to go prowling around in uncharted waters. Besides, this kittypet might have food. Mice might even be scurrying in the bushes near the brown structure. Hesitantly, she jumped down onto the neat grass again, curling up in a corner of the structure. She'd sleep here, and be off first thing tomorrow. Soon she drifted into a calming but jittery sleep.

Mousepaw's green eyes snapped open. The area around her was warm, as if in greenleaf. Cats leaped from boulders onto mice, sunned themselves on rocks.

_StarClan,_ she realized with a jolt.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Mousepaw started. Just beside her was a black cat. The same black cat with the white streak and the green eyes and the stars in his fur.

"Yes," she answered. "Why am I here?"

"So I can talk to you." The cat flicked his black tail behind him, and it swayed on the short grass.

_Well, go ahead._

"You remember what I told you, right?"

Mousepaw, focusing on a brown tom, snapped her attention back to her speaker. "Of course."

"Do you see now how the hunters are hunted?"

Mousepaw shook her head, fumbling with the grass underpaw. "No."

He jerked his head to the side. "Come with me."

They passed a stream, where sleek-furred cats drank. A white she-cat was lying near the bank, and her eyes drifted open as the two cats walked through.

"Hi, Lilynose," the black tom greeted.

The white cat dipped her head and closed her eyes again.

The black tom went on, but Mousepaw stopped. _Lilynose. Badgerstar's mate._ Then she looked wildly around. _Where's Badgerstar?_

"Come on!" the tom snapped.

Reluctantly Mousepaw followed him to a marsh. Water seeped through her claws as they walked on it, and she kept flicking them to rid herself of the wet—to no avail.

"Look," he whispered.

Mousepaw peered down. The marsh dropped off abruptly. A fine line was cut through the entire sky, where she could clearly the Clans below moving about. A yowl pierced her ears, so shrill it was like nothing she'd ever heard. Turning her attention toward it, she saw a horrific sight.

Another cat caught in a trap. This time it was a kit, his fur so fluffy it covered him, making him seem like a full-grown apprentice. His forepaw was caught, and he yanked it endlessly, yowling into the night sky. The forest around him seemed to still as no one came to help.

Mousepaw looked at the black tom. "Can't we help him?"

"StarClan cannot prevent death," he murmured, still looking at the kitten.

Heartbeats passed. Then, to Mousepaw's left, a sound started, like the river when it was churning fast. A form appeared, a small white kitten with one orange dash on his forehead. He stared around in confusion. A cat came up to him, tucked him under her belly, and hung her head.

"His mother's mother," the black tom whispered. "His caretaker in StarClan."

Mousepaw gaped. "How many times has this happened?"

The cat shook his head and looked away. "Too many for us to count."

"Like, a whole Clan full?" Mousepaw pressed.

He glared at her through the corner of his eye. "More cats have joined StarClan in the last three moons than in the past season."

In shock, Mousepaw sighed. "What are those traps?"

"Twolegs brought them. Why, we do not know."

The brown apprentice looked at the Clan territory again. She could make out multiple pine trees surrounding the clearing where the kit had been caught. His body lay lifeless, blood seeping into the ground and turning the surrounding snow a pinkish color. How long it would take for someone to find him, she did not know. _Pine trees. ShadowClan._ Mousepaw felt pity for all of the Clans. _Is there any place those traps are not?_

The tom resumed his look at the Clans with Mousepaw. "You have to get rid of them, One Who Seeks. Find the traps. Set them off before we lose all of the Clans before leaf-bare is over."

"How?" Mousepaw pleaded.

"You'll find a way."

* * *

**How will Mousepaw do in an unfamiliar territory? Will the ginger kittypet come back to help her? Can she find her father and get back to the Clans in time to save them?**

**Find out soon! Remember that reviews are the only way for the story to progress.**

**woof**


End file.
